(a 4 minute read) So this is not the conclusion on HUMILITY but just a revelation during this exploration. I personally love AHA moments, they are exciting adrenaline-charged exhilarating thrilling, well maybe I am going overboard, but that’s part of the excitement. Hope you will sense some of these as you come along side me.

Let’s start from a familiar point of view. Raising kids;
what’s one of the best pieces of advice you can give them?

“Always strive to better yourself. Put in the work necessary. Do NOT become complacent. Do NOT become dormant.” And so on.

If we talk business, a company that is not seeking to improve itself, can slide down, especially companies that are on top of the game.

If you are not growing, you are shrinking. Why? Because a Plateau, no matter how long, is not a healthy place to be. Kind of like ‘Do NOT become complacent’ advise to children.

So this is the point of brutal HONESTY with oneself ………….

Do you feel and find yourself at a point where you can look at yourself in your journey of faith and think to yourself;

“I am in a good place!”       “I am at a better point than I ever have been”                                “I am content as to what I have become!”                            “I am so much better than MANY around me!”

Please please please, Put aside the knee jerk reaction responses such as;

“I am a sinner and need to always better myself!”                     “No one is perfect, of course I have more to learn!”

For some reason, a question about our FAITH journey elicits a guttural reaction of “Someone is trying to pin me down on something WRONG that I am doing”, thus the DEFENSIVE knee jerk reaction of words we believe in but are self-protective in nature.

Hope this part is out of our system, and let me ask this;

“This question is not about the WRONG things that you may have done, are doing or may not be doing in your life. This question is about the GOOD RIGHT MORAL DECENT HONORABLE things you do as you move through your FAITH journey;    How do you feel or find yourself in this regard??

Some answers that may jump to mind;

“Who could not improve on doing better!”
and/or  “I am in a GOOD place in that regard!”
and/or    “I am on TOP of my game!”
and/or    “I am doing ALL the things that I am supposed to do!”
and/or     “I am doing THIS so do not hold THAT against me……….
as no one is perfect!”

Search your heart, read these answers above one at a time, again. Examine them. Remember, brutal honesty please.

Let’s not use the word ‘complacent’ as it has a negative connotation. How about ‘content’ instead?? Complacent & Content are synonyms. They are!

Do these three answers depict describe portray illustrate; contentment???

I would say so, and hope you agree.

So what is WRONG with contentment!?   It is actually Biblical…………

“Contentment in what you HAVE no matter what it is”, is Biblical.

“Contentment in HOW I AM”…………… is NOT Biblical. It should not be part of one’s FAITH journey!

I believe I and we consider “content in how I AM” as OK. But it is NOT.

I am admonishing myself along with you, if you are relating to what is said here. Why admonish??

A child or an employee needs admonishment to recognize and correct. But admonish implicates wrong-doing. How about ‘warn’? It is a synonym to admonish, but it does not implicate wrong-doing.

So, HUMILITY is not weakness rather it is recognizing a deficiency absence deficit short-fall
PLUS  accepting it
EQUALS    corrective action
that is continuous in nature so I do not fall back into
CONTENTMENT in what I have become
THEREFORE, continually IMPROVE; no plateau

See, HUMILITY is the corrective ACTIONS of the need to IMPROVE. Words about needing to improve on what I am are simply just that…………. WORDS.

My Lord and my Maker. May i continually evaluate the words i am using. Examine the impact they may have. Find synonyms to such words that are uplifting rather than lessening the person in front of me. May i do more GOOD do more HONORABLE do more DECENT do more ‘Do the Right thing’. This CONTINUAL and MORE is a lot of work to do, but i count on Your Strength, Your Patience, Your Guidance to give me the stamina not to give-in nor give-up. i need to practice more the phrase; “It works, if you WORK it, so WORK it.”  i love You and thank You my Creator. Amen.